No Strings Attached
by klaine-is-endgame1
Summary: Five years after meeting and losing contact, fate brings Kurt and Blaine together again. They renew their friendship, but not exactly in the best of ways or in any way they would've expected. Written with AnimeAngelRiku
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

Kurt Hummel was 15 years old when his dad sent him to Camp Sing Along in Columbus, Ohio. He couldn't have been happier than the minute he was allowed to go. People in Lima just didn't understand him; he was too different for their taste, it seemed.

Three years ago, Kurt remembered, he and some of his friends had gone out to a girl-boy party-his first one, actually-and all the guys had just started to notice all of the girls... except for Kurt. He was the only one who hadn't been staring and drooling like an idiot.

He hadn't understood why at the time, being barely twelve, but Kurt didn't like checking out the girls with all of his friends. In fact, he found the boys far more attractive, what with some of them already starting to hit puberty and all that.

"Hey, Kurt, look at Santana Lopez," Noah Puckerman had said to him. "She's hot, huh?" He and the rest of the boys had chuckled stupidly.

Kurt had looked up from a Vogue magazine he'd picked up and taken a quick glance at Santana. She was kind of pretty, but that was it. He'd raised his magazine back up and scrolled down the paragraphs. "No thanks," he'd said as he turned the page.

Now he was fifteen, Kurt thought excitedly. This camp would be good for him. Especially since he had realized he did like boys, and not the way you liked a friend or a sibling. He was gay.

Throughout the summer, Camp Sing Along was the most fun he'd ever had, and tonight was the final night before everyone returned home. So the camp decided that all the campers would spend the last night together; no one opposed the idea.

Kurt sat down at a table with two girls he knew from his school, Mercedes Jones and Rachel Berry. Today, the camp leaders had announced they'd be having open mic night as a way to make people remember who you were. Music was one of the most powerful forces in the world, they'd told the campers when the summer began. It went with you wherever you were, regardless of where that was. As long as you had music, you would never be truly alone.

"Hello, campers! And welcome to Camp Sing Along's first official Open Mic Night!" One of the counselors announced through the microphone, emanating a deafening cheering from the crowd. "Our first performer of the night is newcomer Blaine Anderson, and he's going to sing-" The counselor paused, looking over at the boy the campers couldn't see just yet.

He leaned down to the side of the stage, where (they guessed) the unseen boy was talking to him. The counselor stood up and looked back at the campers, shock crossing his features. "-an original song!" he said once he'd recovered. "He'll be singing an original song tonight. Give it up for Blaine Anderson!"

Slowly the boy climbed onstage, under the spotlights directed at the center, and Kurt's breath caught. This boy was... he was absolutely gorgeous, more beautiful than any other boy Kurt had seen..

"H-hi," he laughed nervously into the microphone. The crowd laughed slightly in response. "My name is Blaine Anderson, and this is a song I wrote called Human. I hope you like it."

He grabbed a guitar one of the counselors handed him, which was obviously (given the small BA letters written with Sharpie at the hold) his, and began to play.

_I feel like a loser_

_I feel like I'm lost_

_I feel like I'm not so sure if I feel anything at all_

Kurt had the strange sudden urge to hold this boy between his arms, as some sort of reassurance. But reassurance of what?

_But believe me, I'm not helpless I just_

_Need someone to love_

_So my situation's rough_

_But that just makes me a dumb human_

_Like you_

He smiled to himself and looked down at his shoes, probably embarrassed, Kurt figured, since his shoes were not that big of a deal.

_I feel like a shortstop_

_Along third base_

_I may just help you but I still don't like your face_

Kurt couldn't help but feel like the boy had hit very close to home. He'd helped a lot of people, even people he couldn't for the life of him stand, just to feel like he belonged. Which had turned out to not work at all.

_But believe me, I'm not hostile I just_

_Want to hear you laugh_

_When I'm sarcastic like that_

_But that just makes me a dumb human_

_Like you_

_Why_

_Do I have this incredible need to stand up_

_And say "Please, pay attention?"_

Kurt closed his eyes before blinking rapidly three times. He wasn't going to cry on his last night at Camp Sing Along, no matter how cool and awesome the people around him were. No tears, Kurt, no tears tonight.

_It's the last thing that I need_

_To make myself seen_

_Well, that ain't my intention_

_No_

_I feel like an artist_

_Who's lost his touch_

_He likes himself in his art, but not his art too much_

Pretty much like Kurt. He was proud of who he was, of what he was... but not exactly of what he did as a way to show that pride.

_But believe me, I've got something_

_I just don't know how to say_

_That I'm just fine with the way_

_With the way that I'm moving_

_But that just makes me a dumb human_

_That just makes me_

_That makes me a human like_

_You_

As soon as he finished the entire hall was on their feet, clapping and cheering for him. Blaine nodded and murmured thousands of "Thank yous" under his breath. Kurt stared at the him, hoping he wouldn't be caught, but suddenly Blaine looked back at him.

In that moment, right when their gazes locked, Kurt knew he had to talk to him.

Later that night, Kurt saw Blaine sitting alone away from the cabins with a bonfire of his own. Everyone was supposed to be at the one on the other side of the campsite for a final sing-along, but Kurt hadn't wanted to be there. He didn't want to feel like he was leaving his new friends. He walked up behind Blaine despite his nervousness and smiled.

"Hey," Kurt said, but he kind of regretted it when he saw how sad the boy looked.

"H-hey," Blaine said as he looked at the fire.

"Why aren't you at the bonfire? It's our last night here, you know," Kurt mumbled.

"As a matter of fact, you're not there, either," Blaine pointed out, a shy smile on his lips.

"That's true." Kurt nodded.

"Who are you, anyway?" Blaine said finally looking up.

"I'm Kurt. Kurt Hummel." He smiled proudly. "Future Broadway star, actually."

"Oh. Well, I'm Blaine. Blaine Anderson, future singer slash songwriter."

"I know," Kurt's smile brightened up. "I mean, I sort of figured. Seeing you perform earlier... your song is amazing."

Blaine smiled, but it still appeared sad and somewhat forced, reminding Kurt of why he'd come here for. "When I walked over, I couldn't help but notice you were a little down. I don't mean to pry, but, are you okay?"

"Yes," Blaine answered, though he didn't sound so sure. "It's just… yes." He didn't meet Kurt's eyes, and he was possibly hoping for a change in the topic of their conversation.

"Okay," Kurt said, looking away too. "I can tell you're not used to having people ask that, so would it help the situation if I told you something about me no one here knows except for two of my friends from back home? Then would you tell me?"

Kurt felt like swallowing back his words. He didn't even know this guy and he was willing to just spill out his greatest, most treasured secret like that?

But then Blaine took a deep breath, thinking about it for a minute. At last, he said, "Yeah. Yeah, that might help."

Kurt breathed deeply through his nose and exhaled through his mouth, wincing slightly. He was afraid Blaine would treat him like the people back at his school did, but he needed Blaine to trust him so badly for some weird, cosmic reason...

"I-I don't like girls..." he began, "not... not like I'm supposed to. I like boys instead. I-I'm… gay." He bit his lip hard, stopping himself from stuttering like a fool.

Blaine looked up, his eyes widening. "You too?"

"Wait, you mean…?"

"Yeah," Blaine nodded as he closed his eyes. "That's why I looked down before you came. I had just gotten off the phone with my mom." He went silent for a second. "She and my dad are getting divorced. I came out to them right before I came here. My dad, he…" Another pause, one in which he ran the back of his hand against his eyes. "He wasn't very accepting. My mom, on the other hand, was. She called me earlier to tell me that they're divorcing," Blaine finished as a few tears slipped down his face. "Divorcing! My parents, who have been together since way before I was born, divorcing! This is all my fault!"

Kurt frowned, scooting closer to him and putting a comforting hand on his back, rubbing it slightly in soothing circles.

"It's going to be okay. I promise."

Even though he really couldn't promise anything would be okay.

They stayed like that most of the night, though they would occasionally speak, asking each other how camp had been for them and promising to stay in touch, especially because-since Kurt had come and talked to him-they'd realized they could get to be pretty close friends. But they both knew that wasn't going to happen. Things change. People change.

Their promises of calling each other at least once a week vanished into nothingness. Kurt Hummel finished high school and left for New York City without ever hearing of one Blaine Anderson again.


	2. Chapter 1

**Hey guys, and welcome to the official first chapter of this story I would like to thank AnimeAngelRiku for collabing with me on this and we hope you all enjoy.**

Kurt Hummel took a sigh of relief when the professor finally told them that they could leave. Had he imagined it, or had the lecture lasted longer than usual? He was now 20 years old, living in New York City and going to NYU. Not exactly a Broadway star yet. Everything at its own pace, he often told himself.

It'd been five years since Camp Sing Along, and Kurt's life had changed a lot-more than he could've imagined. Since then, he'd had four relationships, two of which were serious... somewhat. If "serious" meant having a little fun but not going all the way.

He was in school as a fashion major and only had two years left, thank God. Of course, if there was a God. So much for being an atheist... He was currently in a relationship, but he knew it wasn't going anywhere and that he should probably cut it off.

After class, he went to his favorite coffee shop (his favorite place in all of New York), _Gimme! _Coffee, drinking his usual order. He was going to meet with a friend from high school, who lived in his same building, to go over their plans for the weekend. Maybe Kurt could even mention his rotten relationship and get advice from her.

He waved her over the minute she stepped through the door. "Hey, Rachel!"

Rachel Berry, annoying as could be, was the only person that Kurt had been able to talk to about his dream of being in Broadway. A theatre fan herself, Rachel had become Kurt's closest friend and almost confident. Their original plan hadn't been moving to New York together, but since they met again at the airport and they'd gotten apartments at the same building, why not?

"Hello, Kurt," she said, a bright smile on her face as she sat down across him. "So, ready for tomorrow's show?"

"Absolutely," he answered her, a little breathless. They were going to watch _Wicked_ for the first time right _in front of them_, and he couldn't wait. "Okay, wait, before we get into the conversation regarding the show, I need to ask you for advice."

"Advice?" She raised a questioning eyebrow.

"Relationship advice."

"I'm not the greatest option to ask advice from," Rachel said with a little shrug. "But all right."

"I think I should break up with Andrew," Kurt said as he took a sip of his grand non-fat mocha like it didn't matter in the slightest.

"WHAT?" Rachel asked, a little too loudly, then lowered her voice when people turned at her outburst. "I thought you two were happy?"

"It's not going anywhere, Rach. Not that I want it to, anyway."

"Why not?"

"Andrew's getting too pushy for my taste," Kurt answered. "I swear, it's like I can't do anything without his permission or without him knowing about it." He shook his head to himself. "It's getting on my nerves. What am I, his wife?"

"First of all, you would technically be his husband," Rachel said, but quickly turned away when Kurt shot her a deadly glare. "And secondly, Kurt, if you're in a relationship, it's normal, you know, to be a little possessive. I mean, not in a bad way-"

"'A little possessive,' like you call it, Rachel," Kurt said, "is when he holds your hand when he catches someone staring at you. It's when he tells you how important you are to him in front of an ex. It is _not_ when he calls you every ten minutes to ask where you are, or when you respond to his e-mail later than you promised because you got held back at the university and he starts asking stupid questions."

Rachel gawked at him. "I... I didn't know any of that. Why hadn't you mentioned it before?"

"It didn't seem important then," he replied honestly. "But now it's getting frustrating and I literally feel like the guy would breathe on my neck twenty-four/seven if he could."

"W-well," Rachel stammered. "Then I think it's better that you break it off with him." She nodded securely, as if this had been her decision to make and not his. "Do it kindly, though! I mean, he's a good guy, even if he's a little... extreme."

"Extreme isn't the word for it, Rach," Kurt said as he stood up from his seat to throw his empty coffee cup away. "I need to go get this over with."

"You're absolutely right, Kurt." They said goodbye with a kiss on the cheek, promising to get in contact later as Kurt made his way to the door. "Call me after! I want to know how it goes!" Rachel shouted after him. He turned around one last time, flashed her a quick smile, and walked out of _Gimme! Coffee _at the same time as another person was about to walk in. He threw open the door with such force that he knocked the stranger to the ground.

"Oh, gosh!" Kurt cried, hurrying to his side. The man was on his back, both hands over his head, and Kurt couldn't help but notice the guitar case sprawled open beside him. The instrument had the letters BA written in tiny handwriting at the hold, which resonated deep inside Kurt's head for a reason he wasn't sure of. "I'm-I'm so, so sorry, sir, I didn't see you!"

"Oh, no, that's-ow-that's fine!" the man replied, sitting up, one of his hands covering his face. "I was lost in my own little world, I should've been watching where I was going."

He uncovered his face, and when he and Kurt locked eyes, Kurt suddenly felt like he couldn't breathe. His mouth parted; when he tried to speak, his voice sounded nervous. "I'm... I... do I know you, by any chance?" he asked-this man seemed familiar to him, especially his hazel eyes, but he couldn't quite remember from where.

The man opened his mouth to talk, then closed it, then opened it again. "Y-yeah, I-you do look familiar..."

In a flash, memories flooded into Kurt's brain so fast and harsh that he was almost knocked off his feet himself. A camp with sing-alongs, a stage, an open mic night, a shy boy with an original song, a guitar with BA sharpie-written, a bonfire, the same shy boy crying over the divorce of his parents, a promise to stay in touch that was forgotten as soon as summer ended...

"Oh my God," the man breathed, apparently also remembering the moment they had met. They both stood up at the same time, their eyes still glued together. "Kurt Hummel?"

_Give it up for Blaine Anderson!_

"Blaine Anderson?" Both men broke into a slightly nervous laughter, and before Kurt knew it, Blaine had pulled him into an embrace.

"It is you!" Blaine exclaimed in apparent excitement. "How long has it been, about five years?" Blaine asked, his breath ghosting over Kurt's ear.

"Yes, since-since Camp Sing Along, right?" He pulled away from the hug after a moment, but they were still smiling a little. "It's been a while, huh?" He felt the need to smack himself. Hadn't Blaine just said it'd been five years?

"It's really been, yeah." Blaine nodded to himself. "So, I'm..." He sighed with a hint of sadness. "I-I'm sorry for never getting in contact with you after Camp. What with my parents' divorce..."

"No, no, don't worry," Kurt told him, remembering how woeful Blaine had looked after the phone call in which his mom had dropped the bomb on him. "I never contacted you, either." An uncomfortable silence settled around them and yet neither of them made any move to walk away or break the silence. Kurt cleared his throat, trying to avoid the awkwardness. "Um, we should, you know, get a coffee or something, to catch up after so long."

"How about now?" Blaine asked, almost in a hurry, as if he had to spell out the words before they got stuck in his throat. "I was about to come and get my usual, actually."

"Oh, I was just leaving." Kurt frowned; then his eyebrows relaxed and he smiled. "But how about we switch numbers and catch up another time? It could be right here," he said while he glanced back at the coffee shop. "This is where I come any time I need a good dose of non-fat mocha."

"It's always nice to meet other coffee addicts," Blaine joked. "But yes, that sounds great!" They took out their phones and added themselves as a new contact in the other's device, handing them back afterward. "I'll make sure to call you this time."

"If you don't, I will be forced to call you," Kurt added with a cocky wink. Blaine laughed and nodded again. The two men shook hands, waving each other goodbye with a "See you later!"

* * *

><p>To say the least, Blaine Anderson had a smile on his face so big, so happy, that it seemed to create a rainbow in front of him. The girl behind the counter didn't take her eyes off him for a couple of seconds after he ordered, and not in a good way. Blaine had to repeat his drink order before the girl finally nodded and went to make his coffee.<p>

He'd been starving for his daily dose of caffeine, but now that he was sitting at a table by himself with his medium drip in front of him, Blaine could only stare at it, his chin propped up on his palm and the stupid smile attempting to crack his face in half.

When he first saw Kurt Hummel, it was at the beginning of Camp Sing Along. He didn't know who he was; he only knew that this boy was the most beautiful human being to ever walk the face of the Earth. He remembered wondering if he was even a human being and not some image his brain had conjured for him.

It wasn't that Blaine had a crush on every single guy he met. It was just that when he had a crush on somebody, he tended to fall way too hard, way too fast. When he was fourteen, he kind of believed that the new kid at school was the love of his life. Before Camp Sing Along, he'd written a song to the boy living across the street. And at the camp, he was convinced that the beautiful blue-eyed boy was meant to spend the rest of his life together with Blaine.

And then the boy was talking to him, talking to him instead of being with everybody else at the bonfire, but discovering that after that night they wouldn't be talking again, Blaine started to get paranoid. Well, he didn't exactly know that his parents' divorce would be so... ugly, but that was half the reason he didn't call Kurt like he'd promised. He wanted to, he almost did. Then he'd remembered the new kid in school never even glancing at him and the boy across the street calling him a fag, and he couldn't do it. Talking to Kurt would lead to falling in love with him and Blaine simply couldn't stand thinking about rejection coming from Kurt; so he started to guard his heart as he grew up, eventually guarding it so much he didn't think he would ever fall in love again.

After bumping into Kurt, however, Blaine felt like this was fate giving them the chance to become friends-just friends-and he could deal with that. He totally could. Right? Blaine thought so.

That was what prompted him to call Kurt in the next forty minutes and ask if he wanted to catch up over coffee the next day. They had already sort of agreed to do that, but there was nothing wrong in making sure. Now here Blaine was, sitting at the same table in Gimme! Coffee, waiting for Kurt to arrive. He smiled as he saw Kurt coming in through the front door.

Blaine got up, walking to the register, his smile still present when Kurt showed up right beside him. "Hey. Thanks for coming," Blaine said, rubbing the back of his neck and not knowing what else to say.

"I told you I would," Kurt said as they moved up in the line. "I was just glad you called me this time."

Blaine nodded. They got to the front of the line and he started to order. "A medium drip and a-"

"Grand non-fat mocha, please," Kurt said, cutting him off and pulling out his wallet.

"Don't even think about it." Blaine took out his wallet a second faster than Kurt and handed the girl behind the cashier a $10, telling her to keep the change. "This is on me."

Kurt sighed, but he was smiling, so Blaine knew he wasn't actually angry. "You don't have to do that."

"I invited you here, I'm paying." Blaine went back to the table where he'd been sitting minutes ago and took a sip of his coffee, relishing in the taste. He was just being nice. A friend could pay for both his and his friend's coffee, right? No big deal.

"Well, okay, but I get to pay next time," Kurt muttered, drinking his mocha.

Blaine raised an eyebrow. "Next time?"

Kurt seemed to be taken aback by the answer, which was kind of funny, really. He set down his cup before he spoke. "I just mean... I... you... and we-"

"Kurt..." Blaine laughed, completely cutting off Kurt's rambling. "I was kidding, man! Of course there will be a next time. I want to get to know you after so long." Kurt exhaled loudly.

"Good," he replied, breathing a sigh of relief. "So," he began. "Tell me, what's been going on with you since Camp Sing Along?"

"Well, my parents' divorce was worse than I originally thought," Blaine said, looking away. "And they fought over custody for me. My mom won. Thank goodness." He shook his head to himself, like he couldn't quite stand to think otherwise. "My dad only wanted me to come home with him because he wanted to turn me straight." He took a deep, shaky breath.

Kurt didn't say anything for a while, but then he looked sympathetically at Blaine, as though he perfectly understood. "I'm sorry, Blaine." He frowned. "What else has been going on, though?"

"I went to Dalton Academy, a private school in Westerville, after camp, and I actually ended up as their lead singer." Blaine smiled proudly at the memories. He remembered the competitions, his friends... "I do, however, wish I would have stayed in public school." He drank from his medium drip.

"Stayed?" Kurt raised a questioning eyebrow.

Blaine nearly choked with the drink. He hadn't meant to spill that bit of information, but now there was no turning back. "I, uh-I left after I was forced to come out," he said. His throat began to constrict the same way it did every time he recalled the... He forced himself to keep his calm. "I got beat up at a school dance after taking a friend of mine," he said, almost too quickly. He just wanted to say the words and push them to the bottom of his esophagus again. "And, well, now I feel like a coward for running."

Kurt's hand was suddenly over his, thumb stroking comfortingly his knuckles. "Blaine," he said, his voice tender and full of understanding. "You're not a coward, do you hear me?" Blaine had to look up at him. Kurt sounded so sure... he sounded meaningful. Blaine had forgotten how it felt to have someone on his side. "You did what you had to be safe," Kurt continued. "It would've been foolish to stay where you were. There's nothing wrong in worrying about your own well-being. Don't punish yourself over it."

His hand was gone as soon as it had been there, but Blaine could still feel his touch over his skin. For some reason, his face was starting to heat up. He wondered if his brain remembered that he and Kurt were just friends, because it really didn't seem so.

This was going to be tougher than he thought.


	3. Chapter 2

After hanging out that afternoon, Kurt and Blaine started to see each other regularly. Being with Blaine just felt so… right to Kurt somehow, sometimes even better than being with Rachel, which was saying something—she was his best friend, after all.

Kurt unlocked the door to his apartment, where he was sure Andrew would be awaiting his arrival. He wasn't surprised to find him there.

"Where have you been? School ended about three hours ago," Andrew said as he raised an eyebrow at Kurt, who had a very wide grin on his face as he came through the door. The reason he hadn't broken up with his so-called boyfriend yet was because now that he was having coffee with Blaine, Andrew didn't drive him as crazy. Every time he told himself, "Today is the day," his chat with his old friend would erase that idea out of his mind. And ever since he'd told Blaine about Andrew, he'd tell Kurt to be patient and give the guy some more time. That seemed to influence him more than he let on.

"Oh, I met up with an old friend," Kurt said, still smiling, as he set his newest Marc Jacobs bag on the kitchen table.

"And you couldn't have called me?" Andrew asked, anger lacing with his voice. Kurt sighed through his nose.

"No," he responded, turning back to him. "No, I didn't think I needed to because I'm not even that late."

"But you are my boyfriend, Kurt!" Andrew snapped.

"Yes, BOYFRIEND!" Kurt screamed the word with such an emphasis that Andrew seemed to be taken aback. "God, Andrew, stop treating me like I'm your slave! You don't need to know my every move!"

Andrew stood his ground. "Yes, I do! Was that old friend a guy, by any chance?"

"What kind of question is that? It's none of your fucking business!" Kurt screeched. Fury was starting to replace the blood in his veins.

"You were! You were with someone else, weren't you? If you're cheating on me, you might as well tell me now!"

"For God's sake, I am not cheating on you!" He slammed his hands down on the kitchen table, right next to his bag. "You may not realize this, you idiot, but I'm not the kind of guy that would go out with someone else at the same time as he's in a relationship," he said through clenched teeth. "He's just a friend I met five years ago, recently encountered again, and have been having coffee with for the past few days! And by the way—" Kurt paused to catch his breath. "If I didn't want to be with you anymore, I'd break up with you, not cheat on you!"

"Then why are you around him so fucking much? Like you said, I'm your boyfriend, NOT him! Catch up if you must, but let me know where you are!" Andrew yelled back at him.

"You know what? I'm sick of this." Kurt threw his hands into the air. Suddenly, his mind was plagued by his own voice telling himself, It's over, it's over, get it over with, it's over. Every chat with Blaine was momentarily erased, being replaced by his anger and fury and desperation. He pointed at Andrew. "We're done. I'm so tired of you telling me where I can and can't go and who I can and can't hang out with. I'm not your possession, Andrew! Get your stuff and get the fuck out!"

"Kurt, you can't be serious! I love you!" Andrew said as his eyes widened. Kurt wondered if it was wrong to feel slightly satisfied at his shock.

"Oh, I'm serious! I've been trying to find a way to do this for months, Andrew, and I hadn't figure out how." But now he had. "Get out!"

"But—"

"GET OUT!" Kurt screamed.

Andrew's eyes widened once again as he walked out of the kitchen. Kurt stayed in his place, his fingers gripping the edge of the table so hard, his knuckles whitened. He could hear Andrew scurrying around the apartment as he tried to get all of his belongings. He didn't care how long it took him—he only wanted the guy out of his life.

Andrew finished packing an hour and a half later. He stood by the door, looking at Kurt, who was on his feet in front of him, one last time. "I hope you find someone you can love as much as I love you."

Kurt shook his head, his arms crossed over his chest. "I won't… because all you ever did was try to control my life, not love me. And I don't wish that to anyone."

Andrew nodded, trying to remain strong as he turned on his heel and closed the door behind him. Kurt let out the breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. He turned to the wall beside him and slammed his head against it in a mixture of relief and rage. It was over. It was finally over.

Picking up his phone, he didn't know who to call first, Rachel or Blaine. He rubbed his temple with his free hand. Should it be a question? He was supposed to call his best friend first, wasn't he? And Rachel had asked him to give him details the day he had coffee with her, before finding Blaine.

So why was his thumb hovering above Blaine's number rather than Rachel's?

He looked down at the phone, reluctantly hitting the call button with his fingertip.

* * *

><p>Blaine was crossing the door to his small, single man apartment when his phone rang. The screen said "Kurt Hummel." He smiled to himself. True, he'd been drinking coffee with Kurt not two hours ago, but talking to him was always somewhat of a… blessing? No, not exactly. He didn't have a word for it, but he knew that talking to Kurt was always good. His body felt lighter and it was as if he could walk on clouds.<p>

Which was completely normal. A friend could make you feel like that, right? Nothing out of the ordinary.

"Hey!" he answered cheerfully, kicking his shoes off in the entryway.

"Um, Blaine, hey," Kurt said a bit awkwardly. Blaine frowned. What was up with that sad voice?

"Kurt? Everything okay?"

"I…" Kurt paused for a second. Then he took a deep breath and continued. "I'm sorry I'm calling, especially now, at this time," he said. "But I was wondering if you're free to go get some coffee or something? I know we went earlier—" He paused again, and Blaine wondered if something had happened with… what was his name? Adam? Andy? "I need to do something to get my mind off things." He heard Kurt sigh.

To be perfectly honest, Blaine wouldn't mind going to the coffee shop again. He knew that if he wanted Kurt to talk about whatever had occurred, he couldn't do it over the phone.

And suddenly he was remembering a conversation he'd had with a friend of his, Nick, that had come to New York a long time ago. "If you ever need to just let out all the stress and dance until you drop," he'd told Blaine, "there's this bar—I can't remember what it's called. A gay bar Jeff and I went to." Nick had written down the address of the bar and handed it to Blaine. "Good music, no slurs, no bullying… a nice place to just go out and have fun. And who knows? Maybe you'll meet your Prince Charming on the dance floor."

He had to have that address somewhere…

"Actually," he said, the phone still pressed to his ear. "I might know of a better place than a coffee shop to get your mind off everything."

"And what place might that be?" Kurt asked. Blaine held back a laugh at the scepticism in his voice.

"If I could tell you its name, I would," he answered truthfully. "However, you're going to have to trust me on this one. What's your address? I'll pick you up."

Wait, what? What the hell was he thinking? Didn't that make him sound a bit creepy? No, it didn't. Not at all. Ugh, Blaine hated these moments—when there were two tiny voices in his head. One of them telling him to keep doing what he was doing and the other one basically smacking him with a rolled-up newspaper at the same time as it screamed, What is wrong with you?

But friends went to bars together, right? They didn't need to be together to go to a bar, they could go, have a few drinks, maybe they would get lucky and find someone to have a little fun with for the night… It isn't creepy in the least, so shut up.

"So, what do you say?" Blaine asked, realizing Kurt hadn't answered him.

"I… I think that's an amazing idea." He sighed in relief, picturing Kurt's lips tilting up into a smile—a very beautiful smile.

After Kurt told him where to pick him up, they hung up. Blaine was almost ashamed at the way he threw his fist into the air in victory.

Almost.

* * *

><p>Pulling into the bar, Blaine parked the car as close as he could to the entrance. He knew that things could get a little crazy, and he decided to be prepared for any scenario.<p>

He looked over at Kurt as they both stepped out of the car. "Ready?"

Kurt nodded, looking up at the name of the bar, but not really paying attention to it. He didn't care much for what this place was called. They showed their I.D.s to the man in the front entrance before walking inside.

To be honest, Kurt had never gone to a bar. He'd never gone to one when he was still living in Lima because he was a minor, and the concept of a fake I.D. had always been a little terrifying for him to attempt to use one. And since he moved to New York, he'd been either with Rachel or controlled by Andrew: the former said that if she ever went to a bar, it'd be with her special someone (in other words, not Kurt). The latter never gave Kurt any time to go by himself.

He was slightly surprised by the insanely large crowd occupying the dance floor while another almost equally large crowd kept to the bar, drinking what Kurt could only say was alcohol.

Looking around once, Blaine grabbed Kurt's hand—hoping it wasn't too much—and pulled him to sit on a stool at the bar. "What will you be having?"

"Something strong." Kurt sighed, exhausted.

"Anything in special?"

"Not really." He shrugged. "I don't know a thing about drinking."

Blaine looked at the bartender and smiled. "A rum and a coke, please." The bartender nodded as he started fixing their drinks. "So," Blaine said as the bartender handed Kurt his drink, and he took a sip of his own, a beer. "Are you gonna tell me what brought this on?"

"What? Wanting to get away?" Kurt asked, gulping down half of his coke. Blaine simply nodded his head, waiting for Kurt to reply. Kurt didn't feel like talking about this, but he figured he probably owed Blaine an explanation. He took another drink, which finished off his coke, and sighed through his nose. "I finally broke up with Andrew," he said, looking up at Blaine, who told the bartender to bring Kurt a brandy. "But that was after he accused me of cheating on him."

Kurt smiled while the bartender handed him his second glass, which he swallowed half of as well. The alcohol burned his throat as it went down. Maybe Kurt was drinking too fast, especially since this was his first time doing so—no, screw "maybe," he knew he was drinking too fast—but he couldn't bring himself to care.

"He did what?" Blaine had shock written across his face when Kurt turned back to him.

"Ah, it was bound to happen," he answered, leaning his chin on his crossed arms over the bar table. "He got jealous because I was getting coffee with you and he thought I was cheating on him."

"I'm… I'm sorry," Blaine said, his voice falling a little.

"No, no, no, I want to thank you, as a matter of fact," Kurt said, a cocky smile pulling at his lips. "You've no idea of how glad I am that he's finally left my life."

Blaine raised an eyebrow. "I know he was kind of extremist, but aren't you supposed to enjoy your time with someone you're with?"

Kurt chuckled. "Not when they're as controlling as Andrew."

Blaine nodded while taking another sip of his drink. "Are you okay? I mean, you said you are, but you must have wanted to come out for some reason."

Kurt was silent for a moment. At first he'd thought he only wanted to get away from the place where he and his ex had been living together, and yet now he realized that wasn't all he'd wanted. "I want a fun night out," he confessed. "I just got out of a relationship, aren't I allowed to have fun?" He asked as he downed the rest of his third—was this the third drink? The fourth? Fifth?

Blaine's smile turned into a smirk. "Well, let's have some fun, then." He held out his hand. "Dance with me."

Although it wasn't a question, Kurt nodded, but he kept a death grip on his glass until the bartender reached for it. He yelled a loud, "Thanks!" before following Blaine to the dance floor.

Dancing to a song that neither knew the name of, they both smiled as they let loose, drinking and talking, but mostly dancing—far apart from each other, not the kind of dirty-dancing other people were practicing. Kurt had drink after drink, and soon even Blaine lost count of how much his friend had had. Another brandy later—how many had he had now?—Blaine smiled at him, not quite as drunk as Kurt, but still drunk enough that he was stumbling a little.

Looking up at Kurt, the atmosphere suddenly changed, and his next sentence was coming out before he could stop it. "Want to get out of here?" he asked, not exactly sure of what he was expecting as an answer.

Kurt, apparently, was too alcohol-dazed to wonder Blaine's question. He nodded excitedly, his head moving so quickly it looked like it might fall. "Let'sgoBlaineeee!" he cried out, as if his words were all slurred together, wrapping an arm around Blaine's neck to support himself. Blaine put a hand on his back to keep him standing, and they both made their way to the front entrance of the bar.


End file.
